Seal-lock for car-doors



(No Model) P. H. MEYERS.

SEAL LOCK FOR OAR DOORS.

No. 317,403. Patented May 5, 1885.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEO FRANK H. MEYERS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SEAL-LOCK FOR CAR-DOORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 317,403, dated May 5, 1885.

Application filed July 21, 1884. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK H. MEYERS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Seal-Locks for (Jar- Doors, of which the following is a specification:

My invention relates to that class of seallocks for freight-cars and other uses in which a key-lock is combined with a frangible seal to prevent the key from being inserted in the lock until the seal has been broken, and the object of my invention is, first, to construct a simple form of seal-lock, and, secondly, to so combine the seal-lock with the door and frame of the car, that only the escutcheon and seal and its retainer will be exposed when the door is closed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective View illustrating the manner of applying my improvement. Fig. 2 is a face view of part of the edge of the door, with the seal removed from the escutcheon. Fig. 3 is a sectional view through the door and post,

with the inner face-plates removed from the lock. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectionthrough the lock and door, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the seal.

A is the post at the side of the doorway, and A represents a portion of the sliding door of a freight-car.

The casing B of the lock proper is let into the door on the inner side, while the escutcheon B of the lock, with a suitable key-hole, b, is on the outside of the door.

On the door-post is a hooked boltor finger, D, adapted to enter a suitable opening, d, of the lock-casing when the door is closed. The nose of this bolt is rounded or beveled, and within the-lock is a vertically-slidin g gravitybolt, E, the lower end of which is beveled, as indicated in Fig. 3, so that when the bolt D enters the lock it will raise the locking-bolt E, which will ride over the bolt D until it falls into the notch 01, as the door is completely closed. The door thus looked can be unlocked and opened again by inserting a proper key through the key-hole b, in the escutcheon, and turning it so that its bit acts on the arm 6 (Figs. 3 and l) on the bolt E, and raises the latter clear of the bolt D.

To seal the lock and prevent access to the key-hole after the door has been locked, I

make use of a frangible seal, F,which is a polygonal plate moderately thin and adapted to a corresponding recess in the face of the escutcheon, so that the faceof the seal will be about flush with the face of the latter, and preferably, also, with the door, as shown in the drawings.

To retain the seal in place to cover the keyhole, I make use of a rotary catch or turnbuckle, G, the spindle of which is free to turn in the casing of the lock, and within the latter is provided with extensions or fingers g g. In the center of each seal is an oblong slot, f, through which the head of the turn-buckle can pass, as shown in Fig. 1, when the seal is inserted in its place in the escutcheon. When the turn-buckle is in this position, one of the extensions g will be in the path of the bolt D, which, as it enters the lock in closing the door (Fig. 3) will strike that extension 9 and turn the spindle a quarter-turn, so that the turnbuckle will lie at right angles to the slot in the seal plate F, and prevent the latter from being withdrawn, nor can the turn-buckle be turned so long as the bolt D remains in the lock, for the extensions 9 9 lie horizontally on the top of the said bolt (see dotted lines in Fig. 3) and prevent such movement. To get at the key-hole, therefore, it becomes necessary to break the seal.

' I make the seal of cross-grained wood, on which the desired names, numbers, or other marks are impressed by stamping. A seal of this material is easily made, is very cheap, and readily broken by the insertion of a suitable instrument between the seal and the edge of the recessed escutcheon.

In applying this invention to freight-cars of a railroad, each station on the road is provided with a number of seals all stamped with the name of that station, and consecutive letters and numbers, with. no duplicates, so that if any one breaks the seal and gets into the car on the route, he cannot replace the seal with a duplicate, but must use one with the name of the station where the car then is, so that when the change is discovered by comparing the copy of the shipping manifest with the carseals, the responsibility can be traced back to the proper person.

In many seal-locks now inuse the entire 10 jury to the look.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination of a lock and a notched bolt adapted to enter said lock, with a slotted seal-plate and a retaining turn-buckle adapted 15 to pass through the slot in the seal-plate, and

turned to retain the latter by the said bolt when entering the lock substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of a car-door having a .lock on the inside, and a recessed escutcheon,

B, and seal-plate, F, on the outside, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

- FRANK H. MEYERS.

Witnesses:

J 012m E. PARKER, HARRY SMITH. 

